


Strands of Pink

by CasuallyMiraculous



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23871499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasuallyMiraculous/pseuds/CasuallyMiraculous
Summary: Miraculous Hair Dye Soulmate AUWhen someone dyes their hair, streaks of that color will show up in their soulmate's hair.It is the start of summer break when Marinette loses a bet that leads to her getting her hair dyed.Now that she's one step closer to finding her soulmate, what happens if she finds him? And what if he isn't who she's been hoping for?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 19
Kudos: 577
Collections: April 2020 - AU





	Strands of Pink

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clslovegood47](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clslovegood47/gifts).



> This is my first work for the MLB fanfic exchange and I'm super excited to share it! I've been wanting to write a soulmate AU for a while now, and I finally got an opportunity to! Hope you enjoy!!

“You ready, Marinette?” Alya asked, mixing the light pink hair dye in a small plastic bowl.

“I guess,” Marinette sighed, slumped over in her desk chair. 

Of course, it was her fault she even agreed to this in the first place. Marinette had happened to be especially tired the day she and Alya made that bet. There had been a long akuma fight the night before, so when Alya talked to her in class, Marinette kept dozing off and ended up agreeing to a bet that she could confess her feelings to Adrien by the last day of school. The loser had to let the other dye their hair pink.

Obviously, Marinette wasn’t able to complete her side of the bet, and she now found her hair at Alya’s mercy.

“It won’t hurt, will it?” Marinette asked, a glint of nervousness in her eyes.

Alya stared at her for a second before asking, “You’ve really never gotten your hair dyed, have you?”

“Nope.”

“But why not? Don’t you want to find your soulmate?”

“Oh please, you know it’s basically a lost cause. Only around one in ten thousand couples in the world are true soulmates.”

“Well, I found Nino, and then there’s your parents, an—”

“Ok, I get it, I get it. Let’s just... get this over with...” Marinette spun the chair around, brushing all her hair behind her shoulders.

* * *

“Adrien Agreste, what on Earth have you done to your hair?!” 

Gabriel Agreste stood at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, sternly looking up at his son.

Adrien held his hands up defensively, “Nothing, I don’t know what happened!”

The night before, Adrien had gone to sleep with his normal golden blond hair, and then when he awoke, there were pastel streaks of pink running throughout his hair.

He was fully aware of soulmates and what hair changing colors meant, so he came to the conclusion that this was either a cruel joke Plagg was playing on him, or—more likely—this was his soulmate’s doing.

Nathalie came into the foyer from the kitchen. “Sir, I don’t believe this Adrien’s fault.”

“Are you implying that Adrien’s soulmate has dyed her hair?”

Nathalie cleared her throat before responding, “Y-yes sir.”

Gabriel stared at his assistant for a moment. “Then contact the hairstylist to see if we can dye his hair back to the original color.”

“Of course, sir,” Nathalie replied as she turned to leave the room.

Adrien hesitated before asking, “Father, is that really necessary? This could mean I’m one step closer to finding my soulmate… Aren’t you happy for me?”

“Adrien, are you aware of the repercussions that the Agreste brand would face if everyone were to see this?” Gabriel raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

“Um… no—”

“Most of our younger fans only buy Agreste brand clothing because of you. They all love you.” Gabriel slowly made his way up the stairs. “Now imagine what would happen if everyone now sees the hair color of your soulmate. What would happen? The dream of being with you would be ruined instantly. Do you understand?”

Adrien stared at his feet. He had always suspected that his father put the company before Adrien’s happiness, but this was finally confirmation.

“Adrien Agreste, do you understand what I just said?” Gabriel repeated impatiently.

“Yes, sir,” Adrien mumbled before walking back to his room.

* * *

It was only when Adrien got back to his bedroom that he let tears fall freely.

“I’m sorry kid, you shouldn’t have to put up with that jerk.” Plagg flew out from under Adrien’s jacket, ears drooping.

Adrien stood in front of his mirror, running his fingers through the pink in his hair.

“Plagg, will I still have this hair color when I transform?” Adrien looked at his kwami, tears still sliding down his cheeks.

“Eh, It’s a little complicated. No civilian should be able to see the pink. However, it’s less predictable when it comes to other miraculous holders. Sometimes the magic isn’t strong enough to hide it, but other times it won’t show at all.”

“Okay then…” Adrien glanced at Plagg then looked down at his ring.

“I know you want to go find Ladybug, kid, but let’s just wait for now. You’ll have plenty of time to talk with her during patrol tonight.”

“If you say so,” Adrien turned his face back to the mirror and touched his hair again, smiling softly as he whispered, “Pink.”

* * *

Marinette sat in her room working on a new dress design. The midafternoon summer sun gleamed through her window, filling her room with yellow light. She was gently humming to herself when her phone started to ring. When Marinette opened up the video call, she saw Alya’s face on the screen.

“Hey girl, what’s up?!”

Marinette giggled at her friend's excitement. “I’m working on a new design.” Marinette flipped her phone around to show Alya a couple sketches she’d been working on.

“Wow! Marinette, you never fail to amaze me.” Alya smiled at the screen. “I wonder what it’s like being the most talented fashion designer in Paris.”

“Oh, stop,” Marinette laughed, turning the camera back to her own face.

Alya sighed, “You know it’s truuuue! Anyways, I see your hair still looks amazing!” Alya dramatically flipped her own hair over her shoulder.

“Wow you’re so funny, Alya.” Marinette rolled her eyes.

A smirk appeared on Alya’s face, “Oh come on, I actually am proud of how I did, even the color fits you well.”

“Yeah, I have to agree, it does look good,” Marinette complimented before adding, “Thanks again for coming over last night, it was so fun!”

“Of course!” Alya smiled at her friend, “Oh, that reminds me, Nino and I got tickets to see that movie that comes out next week! We were wondering if you wanted to come? Nino’s going to see if Adrien can come, too.”

“Oh wow, that sounds great, of course I’ll go!”

“Awesome!”

Marinette and Alya talked for hours, and before they knew it, the sun had gone down. 

“Sorry, Alya, I gotta go.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later!”

Marinette waved her friend goodbye then hung up. “Alright Tikki, ready to go?”

Tikki flew up from where she had been sitting on the desk, “Yep!”

“Are you sure Chat won’t be able to see a difference in my hair?”

“Not a chance, since it’s your hair that’s actually dyed, the transformation will hide it.”

“That puts my mind at ease,” Marinette sighed, “Tikki, spots on!”

There was a bright flash of light, and a few seconds later, Ladybug jumped out of Marinette’s room and began swinging across the city to the first patrol spot.

* * *

Chat Noir made his way towards the Eiffel Tower, thinking over everything that had happened during the day. In the end, there was no way for the hairdresser to cover the pink streaks. Apparently, that was due to the fact that it’s impossible to dye the hair because of the magic that has to do with soulmates. Of course, that didn’t stop his father from wanting to hide it from the world.

His father and Nathalie had decided that they would have the editors hide the pink in his hair. That way, they could still post photos, and then they just had to keep him inside, away from the public eye. Of course, Adrien had to agree with the plan but was able to compromise with his father to let him hang out privately with just his close friends every now and then.

He shook his head clearing his thoughts, I can’t think about that right now.

Eventually, Chat made it to the meeting place, catching sight of his Lady. As she landed on the roof before him, he looked at her hair, which was the same midnight color that it always was. 

Chat jumped down softly next to Ladybug. “Hey, Bugaboo.”

“Hey Cha—” Ladybug’s sentence trailed off as she spun her head around to face Chat, whose pink streaks of hair glistened in the moonlight.

Ladybug gasped, “Your hair… it’s… it’s pink.”

“Hehe, yeah, I guess it’s thanks to my soulmate…” Chat Noir looked at Ladybug, who seemed to be lost in thought.

“I-I’m sorry, Chat I have to go,” Ladybug straightened up to leave, “I, um, don’t feel well.”

“Wait, Ladybug!” Chat yelled after his lady, who was now swinging away from him. Did something happen? The more he thought, the more worried he got, and soon he was vaulting in the direction she had gone, calling out her name.

* * *

Marinette paced back and forth in her bedroom, mind racing. Chat Noir was her soulmate. Chat Noir. Chat. Freaking. Noir.

Of course, a part of her had always wondered about the possibility of Chat being her soulmate, but deep down she really had hoped it would be Adrien.

Marinette walked over to her mirror and stared at her hair, running her fingers through the bright pink strands. The image of Chat came back to her mind.

“Tikki, what should I do?” Marinette asked desperately.

“What’s the problem, Marinette? You know Chat loves you and it’s obvious you love him back.”

“Well, yeah… but I love him as a partner, not as a soulmate!” Marinette stared down at her feet. “And what about… ah, never mind.”

Marinette made her way over to her desk.

“Marinette, I know you were hoping for Adrien, but I really think you should give Chat a chance,” Tikki told her softly.

Picking up her sketchbook, Marinette sighed. “I need to get some fresh air.”

Tikki watched as Marinette climbed up her loft bed and through the trapdoor to the balcony.

* * *

Chat had given up looking for Ladybug. Of course he wanted to find her to see if she was alright, but there was now way he could find her now.

Sitting on a random rooftop, Chat gazed out across the city. The lights twinkled in the distance, and a warm breeze slightly brushed his bangs across his forehead. 

He thought over how Ladybug’s and his conversation had played out. He knew that there was still a possibility that Ladybug actually was his soulmate and her transformation simply disguised it, but he couldn’t help but feel pessimistic. 

Chat took a deep breath and stood up to leave. He froze when he heard the sound of a door opening a few houses over. He turned his head only to see none other than Marinette climbing onto her balcony.

Chat blinked. Was her hair… No, it can’t be… he thought to himself. He craned his neck further to double check what he had seen.

When he caught sight of her, she was staring back at him with a dumbfounded look on her face, pink hair shining in the moonlight.

* * *

“When did you dye your hair?” Chat asked Marinette. They now sat across from each other on Marinette’s balcony, both still slightly in shock.

“Last night,” Marinette replied.

“Mine was like this when I woke up this morning…” Chat said, slightly distracted by his own thoughts.

Marinette paused for a second before cautiously asking, “So, does this mean…”

“We’re soulmates?” Chat finished her sentence, and they locked eye contact before quickly looking away, blushing.

A minute went by with the teens sitting in silence, neither knowing what else to say. 

Marinette thought she would have more time to think things over, but now here she was, her own soulmate sitting on her balcony. She remembered what Tikki had told her about giving Chat a chance.

She stood up and looked down at Chat, whose green eyes flickered up to hers.

“Would you like something to eat? You can come inside and I can grab something from the bakery.”

“Oh, uh…” Chat’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, “Are you sure that would be alright?”

Marinette giggled. “Come on.” She grabbed his arm, pulling him through the trapdoor. 

“Wait here, I’ll go get some food.”

Chat watched Marinette disappear down the ladder, and before he knew it, he was sitting by himself in her room. He had been there before, but had never gotten the chance to actually take the time to look at it. Noticing a picture hanging up on her wall, he smiled and stood up to get a closer look at it. He realized it was the picture that the whole class had taken on the last day of school. 

Marinette appeared back in the room with a plateful of pastries in hand. She placed it down on the desk.

“Help yourself,” Marinette smiled up at Chat.

“Thank you,” Chat took a croissant off the plate.

“No problem,” Marinette grabbed a cookie off the plate for herself.

Another wave of silence fell over the two, who now awkwardly stood at her desk. Chat looked around, trying to find anything to talk about to break the awkwardness. Then, something caught his eye.

“Hey, is that the new Ultimate Mega Strike game?” Chat picked up the small game cd box.

“Yeah!” Marinette thought for a second, then opened a drawer and took out two game controllers. “Do you want to play?”

“Let’s do it!” Chat took one of the controllers, smiling.

* * *

Before they knew it, all the pastries had been eaten, their scores in the game sat at a tie, and midnight was approaching.

Chat sighed. “Sorry, Princess, but I should get going.”

“What?! You can’t leave now, we need to do one more match to break the tie!” Marinette explained desperately.

Chuckling, Chat replied, “How about we save that for another time?”

Marinette frowned. “Okay, I guess we can do that, but you better come back soon so we can finish this.”

Chat smiled. “If you insist.”

A few minutes later, Chat was vaulting off into the night, mind buzzing with happiness and excitement.

* * *

As promised, Chat was back two days later, playing the tie-breaking round with Marinette.

Chat mashed the buttons on his remote, tongue slightly sticking out with concentration. Marinette sat calmly next to him, strategically pressing buttons. The game was nearly over, with both of them down to one life left.

After a few minutes, the victory screen flashed on Marinette’s computer, and Chat stood up, making a victory stance.

“Yes!” Chat Noir hollered in triumph.

Marinette looked at him admirably. “Oh please, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“It definitely is!” Chat exclaimed, “I beat the queen of Megastrike at her own game! Unless…” Chat gasped. “Princess, did you let me win?!”

Marinette giggled in response and simply said, “Quiet down, you’ll wake up my parents.”

“Aw c’mon, you’re no fun.” Chat sat back down and leaned forward so he was face to face with Marinette, a large grin forming on his face.

“Hey, you can yell as loud as you want if you’re willing to explain why you, my soulmate who also happens to be a superhero, is in my bedroom with me in the middle of the night.”

They both paused for a second, blushes forming on their cheeks, as if they both just realized the situation they were in. Chat quickly moved his head back, and both of them sat straight up, keeping their eyes focused on the screen in front of them.

It took a moment before Chat broke the silence. “You know, I was thinking. Being a superhero definitely makes our situation a lot more complicated. And, I think… if you’re comfortable with it, I could reveal my—“

“No!” Chat raised his eyebrows in surprise as Marinette cut him off. “S-sorry, it’s just… I know how important it is for you superheroes to keep your identities secret, how dangerous it could be if someone knew…”

That was part of her reason, at least. If Marinette was being honest, the real reason she didn’t want to know his true identity yet was because she would feel guilty about not telling him about her own alter ego.

“You’re right, Princess,” Chat sighed and looked at her. “But one day Hawkmoth will be behind bars, and you’ll finally get to see the handsome face that lies beneath this mask,” he joked.

Marinette laughed, “I’ll look forward to it.” She reached her finger up to boop him on the nose. “Silly kitty.”

They were looking at each other again, slowly leaning closer and closer, and their eyes fluttered shut as their lips touched.

* * *

At some point during the night before, they had moved their make out session over to the chaise lounge, after which they turned on a movie and cuddled until they fell asleep.

Chat woke up holding a sleeping Marinette in his arms. He smiled fondly down at her, running his fingers through her hair, causing it to sparkle in the golden morning sunlight.

Wait… morning?! Chat thought to himself before standing up as quickly as he could without waking Marinette. He took out his baton and opened it to check the time.

“8:30?!” Chat whispered to himself, “Shoot, fathers gonna kill me.”

He looked at Marinette before bending down to kiss her on the forehead, “Sorry, Princess, I’ll come back tonight.”

Marinette stirred in her sleep, but she didn’t wake up.

Chat smiled at her, wanting nothing more than to stay with her for the whole day, but he knew he had to go back home.

With that, Chat vaulted out of Marinette’s room and made his way to his own house.

Chat was about a block away when his ring started beeping over and over. That had never happened before, so he quickly ducked into an alleyway and, after making sure no one was around, released his transformation. The moment he did, Plagg plopped into Adrien’s hands, completely limp.

“Plagg, what’s wrong?!” Adrien asked, surprised.

“Kid, you can’t expect me to hold your transformation for that many hours in a row,” Plagg responded breathlessly.

Adrien let out a small gasp. “Oh Plagg, I’m so sorry… I didn’t even think of that!”

“Don’t worry about it. Just get me some food already.”

“Right.” Adrien used a hand to feel his pockets, which ended up being empty, “Shoot, I need to get some from home.”

Adrien tucked Plagg away before running out of the alley and toward his house.

Since he couldn’t transform, Adrien knew he had to quietly sneak in. When he got to the front door, he turned the knob slowly and then opened it just enough so he could slip in.

He made it all the way inside and was about to go upstairs when he suddenly heard his father practically yell, “Adrien Agreste!”

Adrien gulped. Crap.

“H-hello, father,” Adrien turned around to find his father standing behind him.

“Where were you last night?!”

“I wasn’t—“

“Don’t lie to me, boy.”

Adrien took a deep breath before making up a quick lie, “I was at Nino’s place, I’m sorry I didn’t tell—“

“Nathalie called the Lahiffe’s and they informed us that you were not there.”

Adrien stayed silent.

“You have one more chance to answer me,” Gabriel squinted at his son, “Where. Were. You. Last. Night.”

After pausing for a second, Adrien said, “Father… I think I found my soulmate.”

Gabriel knitted his eyebrows together as he sternly stated, “Adrien Agreste, this soulmate of yours has caused nothing but trouble for you. Not only do we have to put more work into your pictures to edit your hair, but now you have completely missed the photo shoot you had scheduled for this morning.”

“Father, it’s my fault, no one else’s!”

“No!” Gabriel’s voice echoed throughout the foyer, “You are not to leave this house or see anyone else until the end of summer. No one can be allowed to see you right now.”

“But, my friends…”

“Go to your room.”

Adrien looked at his father before practically sprinting upstairs to his bedroom.

After he watched his son go upstairs, Gabriel called Nathalie into the foyer.

“Nathalie, make sure we get a photo of Adrien up on the website soon. We don’t want anyone talking about his hair if he was seen outside.”

“Of course, sir.”

* * *

It was around noon when Marinette went out for ice cream with Alya. They sat at a table outside under a huge umbrella.

“So, have you found your soulmate yet?” Alya jokingly asked.

Marinette could’ve sworn she felt her heart stop for a second, “What?”

Alya looked at her suspiciously. “Woah, don’t worry, I was just joking. It’s been like three days since I dyed your hair, of course you haven’t. That would be insane.”

“Yeah, of course…”

Alya’s phone suddenly buzzed, and she picked it up to look at the notification. 

She glanced up at her friend and back down, “Oh no, you’re not gonna like this…”

“Why? Is there an akuma?” Marinette asked, slightly nervous.

“Nope, look.” Alya held her phone out to Marinette. “It says it was taken yesterday.”

On Alya’s phone was a new picture on Adrien’s Instagram page. The picture showed him sitting with his feet dipped in a swimming pool. His hair shined in the sun, with no signs of pink.

“What’s wrong with that?” Marinette looked puzzled.

“Girl, your hair was already dyed when that photo was taken. I guess this means Adrien isn’t your soulmate… I’m sorry, I know how much you liked him.”

“Oh.” Marinette gazed at the table, deep in thought.

Ever since Chat had started hanging out with her, Marinette hadn’t thought of Adrien once. She smiled at the thought of seeing Chat again later that night. 

“Marinette, are you okay? You seem oddly fine with this…” Alya questioned Marinette.

“Well, maybe this is a good thing… I’ve been thinking it’s about time for me to move on anyway.”

Alya looked at Marinette for a moment before smiling. “Good for you! After all, you deserve to find a partner who will truly appreciate you, right?”

Chat immediately came to Marinette’s mind, and she responded, “Right.”

* * *

“Thanks for inviting me, Nino, but I can’t go,” Adrien talked into his phone, “I’m grounded for the rest of summer…”

“What?! Dude, I was looking forward to seeing the movie with you!” Nino’s voice came through the line, “What did you do to get grounded?”

“Eh, I kinda snuck out last night,” Adrien sat down on his bed.

“Woah, you did what?!”

At that moment, Adrien heard footsteps outside his door. He told Nino he had to go, then quickly hung up the call.

Nathalie knocked before coming into his room to have him start his piano lesson.

* * *

Marinette was already sitting on her balcony by the time Chat got there.

“Hello, Princess,” he lightly grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his lips.

She rolled his eyes at him but still giggled. “Come on, I have a surprise for you.”

Marinette led Chat down into her room and then picked up a plate that was on her desk and hid it behind her back. “Close your eyes.”

Chat looked at her questioningly, eliciting her to continue, “Oh come on, just do it.”

Chat shut his eyes and happily replied, “Whatever you say, Princess.”

Marinette took the plate out from behind her and grabbed a cookie. She walked up to Chat and held it up to his face.

“Open,” Marinette commanded.

When Chat opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a small cookie in the shape of a cat’s head. Marinette waited impatiently for a reaction.

“Princess… that is so… adorable!” Chat had a smile on his face as Marinette handed him the cookie. He took a bite. “Are they lemon?”

Marinette grabbed a cookie for herself before answering, “Yeah! That night we shared that pastry plate, I noticed you kept picking the lemon flavored treats, so I assumed you liked it the most! …You do like it, right?”

Chat was frozen in place as he looked at Marinette. She was such a kind and caring person. It was something he wasn’t used to. Being there, in Marinette’s warm room, was the exact opposite from being in his own house. Never in his life had Adrien thought there was actually someone out there who would willingly take the time to do things like figure out his favorite flavor pastry. Yet here was Marinette, who’d made these cookies especially for him. 

His emotions suddenly got the best of him, and tears started to fall uncontrollably from his eyes.

“Chat! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Marinette stepped closer to him, bringing her hand up to wipe a tear off his cheek. 

“Thank you Marinette…” Chat’s shoulders shook as he sobbed. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I haven’t felt this love in so long.”

Marinette smiled and pulled him into a hug. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, basking in each other's warmth and love.

“Chat, there’s something I need to tell—”

Marinette’s sentence was cut off by a loud rumbling sound from outside.

They looked at each other for a second, then Chat quickly moved to the window, Marinette close behind.

“Do you see anything?” Marinette asked in a serious tone.

“I think it’s an akuma,” Chat quickly pulled himself away from the window and started making his way out of Marinette’s room through the trapdoor. “Stay here, Marinette.”

Marinette nodded and watched him leave. After a few seconds, she climbed onto her loft bed and popped her head up through the trapdoor to figure out the location of the akuma. Once she did, she checked to make sure no one could see her. Seeing that she was clear, she stood all the way up on her balcony, transformed, and swung toward the akuma.

* * *

The fight took a little longer than expected. After around twenty minutes of combat, Chat was able to use his cataclysm at the perfect moment to clear up an opening for Ladybug to use her lucky charm. From there, the fight wrapped up quickly, and Ladybug was able to cleanse the akuma with only a few minutes to spare.

“Ladybug, can I talk to you for a second?” Chat asked after helping the akumatized victim find his way home.

Ladybug’s earrings beeped, signaling that she only had one minute left.

“I’m sorry, I’m about to transform… so are you,” Ladybug looked at him sympathetically. “Maybe another time.”

Chat looked away from her, “Of course…” His head shot up, remembering about Marinette, “I have to go check on someone!” Chat ran in the direction of the bakery, “See you later, Ladybug!”

Ladybug watched him leave before she herself swung herself around a building, taking a different path as Chat back to her home. She had to get back to her room before Chat got there first, so she moved as fast as possible.

Ladybug’s transformation let out the moment she landed on her balcony, and she quickly stood up and looked around to make sure no one saw her. She almost thought she was in the clear, until she saw a pair of green glowing eyes staring back at her. 

“Marinette?” Chat called out to her.

“Chat…” Marinette tried to find the right words to say, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“You’re Ladybug…” Chat whispered to himself before his ring suddenly beeped, signaling his last warning.

“You should go, Chat,” Marinette told him, deciding that one secret identity reveal was enough for one day, “We can talk about this tomorrow, I promise.”

Chat hesitated for a moment before responding, “R-right.” 

With that, Chat ran off back to his house, making it through the window to his room right on time.

* * *

Plagg floated beside Adrien as he paced around his room.

“Marinette is Ladybug…” Adrien looked at his kwami, “Plagg, Marinette is Ladybug.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Plagg rolled his eyes next to him, “You’ve been saying that nonstop since we got back here.”

“Sorry, it’s just… I need to see her,” Adrien looked out the window, “It’s not fair that I know her identity and she doesn’t know mine, I need to go back. Do you think you’ve eaten enough that I can transform and go back to her place again?”

“Come on, Adrien, at least get some sleep first. That’s the most important thing right now.”

“Ugh, you’re right, Plagg.”

With that, Adrien ended up in bed, staring up at the ceiling, mind racing. It took hours, but he eventually drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Tikki, what am I supposed to do?!” Marinette sat on her bed, the morning light flooding her room with light.

“Marinette, you need to calm down.”

“Ugh, I know, I know,” Marinette paused for a second before saying, “I need to find him so we can talk, can we transform, Tikki?”

“Marinette, you have plans to go to the movie with Alya and Nino soon, remember?”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! Maybe I should cancel?”

Tikki sighed. “You know how excited Alya was to go see it with you, just wait until after, it shouldn’t be too long.”

Marinette checked the time on her phone. “You’re right, Tikki. I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

“Good. How about you get ready to go?”

“Okay.”

And with that, Marinette was changed and off to meet Alya and Nino at the movie theater, even though she couldn’t stop thinking about Chat.

* * *

“So how do you plan on doing this, kid?” Plagg floated next to Adrien, who was tying his shoes.”

“They’re going to see the movie today, so I should be able to catch Marinette before they go in.”

“Well, you can’t leave as Chat right now, it’s the middle of the day, that would draw too much attention.”

“I know…”

“And you know your father won’t let you go, Adrien.”

“I know, okay?!” Adrien stood up. “But I’m not going to let that stop me from seeing her, it can’t wait. I’ll just have to sneak out, I’ll be fine.”

“Alright then, if that’s what you really want to do.”

“Let’s go.”

Adrien was almost to the front door when he heard Nathalie call out to him, “Adrien, please don’t go. Your father will be furious.”

“Please, Nathalie, I promise, if you let me go out just today, I’ll do whatever father wants for the rest of the summer,” Adrien pleaded with Nathalie, “Please.”

“Adrien!” Gabriel’s voice echoed throughout the room, “What on Earth do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’m going to see my soulmate, father,” Adrien said confidently, finally having the strength to stand up for himself.

“I have heard enough about this ‘soulmate’ of yours.” Gabriel stepped towards Adrien. “Stop being so ridiculous.”

“This ‘soulmate of mine’ is named Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Of course, you would’ve never known that because you have never even showed a slight interest in what’s actually going on in my life.” Adrien took a breath before continuing, “You care about is your brand, but not your own son… Marinette is the exact opposite. She’s kind, caring, and I love her.” Adrien stared at his father, never breaking eye contact. “So no, I won’t ‘stop being so ridiculous.’ I’m going to go watch a movie with my two best friends and my soulmate.”

With that, Adrien ran out the door, sprinting in the direction of the movie theater, heart racing.

* * *

“Hey guys!” Marinette walked up to her friends who were standing in front of the theater, waiting for her.

“Hi!” Alya greeted her, “Ready to head in?”

“Yep,” Marinette said happily before they started walking towards the entrance to the theater.

“It’s too bad Adrien couldn’t come today,” Nino said, “He was looking forward to this movie.”

As if on cue, Adrien’s voice could suddenly be heard, yelling Marinette’s name.

The three friends looked over to see Adrien sprinting toward them.

As he got closer, the pink streaks he had in his hair became more clear to his friends, and Nino and Alya looked at Marinette.

When he eventually reached them, Adrien bent over, putting his hands on his knees and panting.

“Dude, what is happening?!” Nino exclaimed, taken aback by his friend’s dramatic arrival.

Alya grabbed Nino’s arm, “How about we get some popcorn for the movie, hm?”

“Oh, alright,” Nino said as Alya dragged him away. As the two walked through the doors, Alya looked back at Marinette with raised eyebrows.

Marinette watched Alya disappear into the theater and then looked back at Adrien.

“A-Adrien, your hair… it’s… and I thought you weren’t comin—” Marinette started before Adrien cut her off.

“I know how excited you were for this movie… it would be a shame if we were late.” Adrien paused before adding, “Right, Princess?”

Marinette stared at him, processing what he had just said. And then it all clicked.

“Chat?” Marinette whispered.

Adrien winked and held out his hand to her. “Shall we go in, M’lady?”

The surprised look on Marinette’s face was replaced with a smile and she took his hand. “We shall.”


End file.
